Because He Was There First
by Obsessed01
Summary: “It was like Summer was some kind of drug addict. And Seth was the drug. And it didn’t matter how hard she tried to shake the habit because the addiction would always be there.”


A/N: Another random idea.

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He had given up being mad about it. It didn't seem like there was much point. He should have expected it anyway. It didn't matter what he said or thought. It had never mattered. Because he had been there first. And he would always be there.

Seth. Cohen, as Summer preferred.

Every time he turned his back, it seemed like he was there. Seth would always be one step ahead of him. Because he had been there first. He would always know Summer better than him because Summer didn't like to share her feelings. He knew that.

And so did Seth.

But she had shared her feelings with Seth. A lot of her feelings. And so Seth knew more than he did. He would always know more than he did. Summer told Seth more than she told Zach. He knew that. He tried not to care.

But, he kind of did.

He pretended that it didn't bother him that Cohen was the one to devirginize Summer. He wanted to be the one but it was too late. Because _he_ had been there first. And there was no way around that. He and Summer could have had sex a million times and it wouldn't change the fact that Seth had given it to her first. So when she moaned Cohen's name into his ear instead of his own, he used that as his reasoning.

She had apologized afterward and he had nodded his head, pretending like it didn't hurt.

But it did.

God, he chided himself for being so stupid. He really should have expected it. Like, seriously. Because it was obvious that he still loved her. And, as much as he wished it weren't true, he knew she still loved him too. He could see it in her eyes. Every time she looked at him.

And she talked to him.

She didn't talk to Zach. Well, technically she did. But never about anything important. A lot of the time her chatter was about Cohen. How his grandmother had relapsed. How he was getting a new car for his birthday. How he ate Cap'n Crunch this morning for breakfast. But she never told him anything about herself.

She saved that for Cohen.

And she would always save that for Cohen. She trusted him. Because he was there first. Zach had really tried not to let it get to him. He had ignored it when he saw them flirting in the hallway. And he pretended he didn't see her get into his car after school. And he didn't say anything when he heard Seth's voice in the background when he called her on her cell.

Because Seth would always be in the background.

It was like Summer was some kind of drug addict. And Seth was the drug. And it didn't matter how hard she tried to shake the habit because the addiction would always be there. He swore she even suffered some kind of withdrawal when she went too long without seeing him.

He knew that if he had gotten to know her a year sooner, things would be different. There would be no Cohen. Well, there probably would be, but he wouldn't hold as much meaning. He would just be there. And Zach would be the important one. The one who she talked to. The one who's opinion she listened too. The one who's thigh, at this moment, was being casually brushed by her hand.

Yeah, he should have seen it coming.

Because she only listened to Cohen and what he had to say. His thoughts seemed to be the only ones that mattered. The only ones that ever mattered. He just wished she hadn't pretended with him for so long.

Because it was way too long.

Though she didn't know it, she had a way of communicating everything with her eyes. She had the ability to display about ten conflicting emotions with just her eyes alone. He had noticed that about her too. Cohen must have noticed it before him. Because he was there first. And every time he kissed her, he could see it in her eyes. He could see that he was the wrong person to be kissing her.

But he tried to make it work anyway.

He really wished he hadn't. He knew he would never amount to anything in her eyes with Seth standing next to him. And he would always be next to him. Because he was there first. And she would always love him for that.

So he shouldn't have been surprised when he walked into Summer's bedroom to see Seth fucking her.

He heard the noises before he got to her bedroom. She was moaning loudly and he knew, subconsciously, what he would see when he opened the door. He should have turned around but he couldn't. He wanted her to know that he knew.

So he opened the door and confirmed his suspicions.

She called Cohen's name loudly before she realized someone else was in the room. Seth had rolled off of her immediately as Summer sat up awkwardly, pulling the sheet around her, trying to hide herself from him. But not from Seth. She hadn't tried to deny it, just called his name softly as he turned to go. He had heard her mumble sorry which made him turn back around.

"I should have known," he said to her. "After all, he was there first."


End file.
